Mane Attraction
by Untold Harmony
Summary: Harry keeps staring at her and it's driving Hermione crazy. It's not his fault he's so completely mesmerized by her hair. [One-shot; Smut.]


**I. His**

* * *

He couldn't stop staring.

It was mesmerizing, the way it moved in the gentle breeze from the opened window.

Her hair was teasing him as it bounced and danced with every one of her movements; taunting him to take hold of it, taunting him to caress it, to _pull_ it.

The tresses were wild and sparked with magic. Often her curls were described as unruly. Unmanageable. Uncontrolled. The ringlets curled with no rhyme or reason.

But to Harry, they were beautiful.

And sexy.

_So fucking sexy_.

Like she had just been shagged to within an inch of her life.

"Harry, is something the matter?" Hermione asked, her head rising from the book on her lap. Her chocolate brown eyes were questioning as she looked at her best friend sitting across the library.

She felt his gaze on her as she was reading. She always did, since she had developed this uncanny ability to know what Harry was doing. Her senses were so attuned to him; so hyper aware of his form that she would almost describe it as magic. But Hermione knew it came from years of being best friends; from years of trust and understanding and from living together after they graduated from Hogwarts.

She ran her fingers through her curls and watched as he inhaled deeply. She narrowed her eyes and asked again. "Harry? Did you hear me?"

Broken from his revery, Harry blinked once and held her gaze with his own. He gave her a wicked smile and thumped the large wooden desk in front of him. "Just lost in thought," he replied.

"A galleon for your thoughts, then?"

"Mmmm, I don't think my thoughts are worth that much, Hermione."

She harrumphed and stood from her seat. He watched as she put the tome down and crossed the length of Godric's Hollow library towards him. Her long curls bounced atop her head as she stepped on the hardwood floors. His eyes darkened when she rounded his desk and set her arse on the table's edge next to his chair.

Her hand was on his cheek and she was looking at him intently. She was studying him. Worrying. Her gaze was filled with questions and concern as she stroked his cheek with the pad of her thumb.

All Harry could see was brown and gold and amber and mahogany. His vision was filled with her beautiful face framed by the halo of wild, untameable curls he wanted to run his hand through. He felt hot not only from the warmth of her hand on his cheek but at the visions of _her_ his thoughts have conjured.

"You've been acting odd recently. Tell me what's wrong," she urged. She leaned closer to him and peered at him intently. Her lips were pursed waiting for a reply. The position of her bent head sent tresses of her hair tumbling to her face, and he watched when Hermione used her other hand to tuck the locks behind her ear.

How do you tell your best friend that you've just realized you loved her as _more_ than just a best friend?

How do you tell her that your newly realized feelings have filled your brain with nothing but thoughts of her? Of her face? Of her _body_? Of her damn sexy hair?

The answer was you _don't_.

So Harry didn't.

He laid his hand on top of hers and squeezed. He gave her a dazzling smile and replied, "I'm just thinking about the upcoming season, that's all. Winsor has been working our arses off. I guess I'm antsy about our first game against Puddlemere."

Hermione hummed and her hand dropped to his shoulder and squeezed. Her eyes never left his face as she pursed her lips.

"There's something you're not telling me."

A laugh erupted from within him. He stood up from his seat and peered down at the witch leaning against his desk. Tenderly he brushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead, his fingers playing just a little bit with the curl as he tucked it behind her ear. He bent his head to place a sweet kiss on her forehead before he pulled back and grinned.

"Nothing you should worry about," he said. "Just pre-game jitters, that's all," he soothed, hoping it sounded believable. There was absolutely _no way _she could know the truth. It would be disastrous, _catastrophic_ even, if she were to find out that he had been having these thoughts about her. Nothing would be the same ever again. "Speaking of, I need to head to practice. I'll see you later?" He rounded his desk and started to walk towards the library's door.

She watched him move and stop by the door. He turned around and gave her a wide grin. Her heart clenched and her lips curved into a smile. "Bye, Hermione," he said softly.

"Goodbye, Harry," she replied. He opened the oak double doors, stepped out, and disappeared from her sight.

Once he was gone, she sighed. She bit her bottom lip and narrowed her eyes in deep thought.

There was something he was hiding and she wanted - no, _needed _\- to find out what it was.

* * *

**II. Hers**

* * *

She wasn't called the brightest witch of her age for nothing. She went about it methodically and systematically. She observed, she questioned, she hypothesized, she experimented, and she analyzed. When she was unsatisfied with her conclusions, she revised and she repeated.

**Observation**: Harry Potter was acting _weird _around her. It only started in the last month or so, but she had already caught him staring at her for long periods of time during many different occasions. When asked if something was the matter, he would break his stare and shake his head no. Then, he would smile and brush it off. Rinse and repeat. It was quite unnerving, really, feeling his gaze on her all the time.

**Question:** _Why_ did it seem like he was suddenly so fascinated with her?

She was on her seventh revision of this scientific endeavour and was losing her mind. She hadn't changed anything about her _physically_. She had no new haircut and no new makeup regimen. She hadn't gained or lost any weight either. Her fashion choices also hadn't changed if one didn't count the seasonal shift of her wardrobe since it was almost spring. So, in short, she looked exactly the same as she did a month ago before this weird behaviour of Harry's began.

So if it wasn't a physical change, was it something emotional then? Hermione wondered if he was upset with her. She asked him point-blank if he was during dinner one time and he looked at her oddly before saying no. Harry was never one to hide whenever he was upset, so she believed him. She didn't think _she _was doing anything differently either. Work's been the same. She couldn't really talk to him a lot about the specifics of her work since privacy was part of the Unspeakable code, but that was nothing new. They still spent time with each other like normal, either with friends or alone together at home.

But still… _still_ there was _something_ different. Still, she would catch his gaze on her. Still, he would redirect his look when he noticed _she_ had noticed. Whether out with others or alone… Harry looked at her _differently_. There was this spark, this _intensity_, now in his eyes when his long gazes would settle on her.

She was at her wit's end. It was Ron's birthday party and everyone was celebrating at Seamus' pub. The pub, called _The Golden Snitch_, was closed for the night for this private affair. All of Ron's friends from Hogwarts, his entire family sans kids, and friends from work (which were a _lot_ since he was also a Quidditch player) were invited to the shindig. Ginny had asked Hermione and Lavender to get ready together before the party, so Hermione bid Harry goodbye and told him she would see him at the pub.

They dressed her in a borrowed dress from Ginny's closet since the one she chose to bring with her didn't meet their standards. Lavender did her hair while Ginny did her makeup. The three showed up at the party when it was already in full swing.

They found Ron first and greeted the redhead with exuberant exclamations of happy birthday. Lavender stayed behind with her boyfriend while Hermione and Ginny went on a quest to find their other friends. Hermione's eyes were roaming the crowds for Harry.

She felt a hand on her waist and jerked, thinking it was some stranger touching her. But when she whirled around, it was the person she was looking for. Harry wore a simple white t-shirt underneath a black leather jacket and dark denim trousers.

She didn't miss a beat even though her mouth went dry at the sight of him. He always looked so good without even trying. She beamed and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek.

"Hello, Harry," she greeted, keeping her head close to his ear. The music was pumping loud and there was so much noise that she didn't think he even heard her.

"You look beautiful," he said in greeting. His hand didn't leave her waist as he leaned to kiss Ginny on the cheek. "Hello, Ginny," he said.

"Good evening, Harry," Ginny said with a bright smile.

"Harry, mate, what are you doing hogging these two lovely ladies?!" A thunderous voice said from behind them. Seamus and Dean lumbered over to their little group. Seamus leaned over and gave the two witches exaggerated kisses on the cheek.

"Would you like to dance, Hermione?" Seamus asked.

Hermione's eyebrows rose and she was about to decline if not for Ginny exclaiming she would _love_ to. The redhead pushed the pair onto the dance floor before turning to Dean and leading him for a dance as well.

The pub owner was a good dancer. Hermione considered that he would have to be due to the number of parties _The Golden Snitch_ hosted over the years. He was quite _respectful_ as well and kept his hands on her waist and never strayed further down. Hermione found herself actually having fun as she moved her body to the music of The Weird Sisters. She was thankful for the outfit Ginny chose for her to wear since the tight material kept the dress firmly in place while she danced. She laughingly agreed when Seamus asked for her company for another song.

She felt the eyes on her again. She didn't have to look to know that it was Harry. They were burning holes in her back, caressing her skin, and making her feel flushed all over. His look sent a shiver from her scalp, down to her spine, and to her toes.

Hermione looped her arms around Seamus' neck and drew their bodies closer to the surprise of the Scot. His grip tightened around her waist as they danced with each other. Well, _now _she would give him something to look at. She felt defiant and quite unlike herself, but she was so frustrated, damn it! Harry wouldn't tell her why he'd been acting strange so she figured it's only fair that _she_ act differently as well. From the corner of her eyes she saw him. He was standing with Ginny while Dean was nowhere in sight. They seemed to be talking, or rather, the redhead was. Meanwhile, Harry was looking at her and Seamus with a fierce scowl on his handsome face and his arms crossed in front of his chest. Ginny said something and that scowl deepened.

Seamus told her above the music that she was good at dancing and Hermione laughed. She combed a hand through her long tumble of curls and flipped them over one shoulder. Seamus brushed a ringlet behind one of her ears. When still her hair fell in a cascade around her face, Hermione swept her curls into a bunch and tied them into a high ponytail with the elastic on her wrist. She grinned at Seamus and they were dancing again.

Right before the song ended, Hermione dared to glance at Harry's direction. He was gone.

* * *

**III. Theirs**

* * *

Hermione sipped the drink in her hands and half-heartedly smiled as Ron blew out the candles on his cake. Everyone cheered and a knife was quickly enchanted to magically cut the three-layered chocolate sponge into smaller pieces. Everyone was congratulating Ron again with the glaring omission of one of his closest friends.

Harry Potter was nowhere to be seen. In fact, Hermione had caught him talking to Ron just minutes before the birthday boy extinguished his candles. He thumped Ron's back in goodbye before he bid farewell to their other friends. However, he didn't say goodbye to her.

Moreso, it seemed like he was avoiding her the whole night. After her dance with Seamus, she mingled and caught up with their old classmates from Hogwarts. It felt as though whenever Harry would see her approaching the group he was currently with, he would make hasty goodbyes and run for another. She didn't get to speak to him during the whole party aside from their initial greeting.

She was confused, annoyed, _extremely_ pissed off, and _maybe_ just a little hurt as well. She didn't know what had gotten into him but she was ready to find out what his problem was tonight _and_ why he was acting strange to begin with. Hermione was already rehearsing the earful she was going to give her best friend the next time she sees him when Ginny walked up next to her.

"Well, you look happy," the redhead sarcastically observed with a raised eyebrow. Hermione gave her _the look_. Ginny snorted. "What's got your knickers in a twist, Granger?"

She took a sip of her cocktail before she answered. "Harry's gone," she said simply.

Ginny nodded her head slowly. "Yes, he said goodbye a couple minutes ago. Said he had a headache."

It was now time for Hermione to let out an unladylike snort. "Right. Headache."

Ginny's eyebrows rose. "Not a headache? Why did he leave then?"

Hermione scowled. "How would I know? He's been avoiding me all night and didn't even say goodbye."

Ginny blinked before letting out a breath. "Well, then. I see."

As if a champagne bottle had been uncorked, Hermione whirled around to face Ginny. Her ire had risen to the surface and she was about to give someone - the redhead in front of her, specifically - a piece of her mind.

"He's driving me insane!" Hermione exclaimed to Ginny's wide-eyed gaze. "I would catch him staring at me but then he wouldn't tell me why. I asked him if something was wrong or if I've upset him but he denies it. Then _tonight_, that _git _decided to ice me out altogether! He kept running away from me and ignoring me. Then I see him say goodbye to everybody else and just leave without even telling me. What in the world is wrong with him?!" The brunette's cheeks were flushed and she breathed deeply after her tirade. Honestly, what the _hell _was the matter with him? If she didn't love him so much and had always tolerated his mood swings she would have let him hear about it by now. If this were Ron, Hermione was sure there would have already been a very loud and very vocal confrontation between the two of them which would have ended in anger and tears.

But it wasn't like that with Harry. He was usually so honest with her and so sensitive towards her feelings. He was quick to see when he was being an arsehole and would apologize. He made her feel secure in their relationship and never made her second guess herself.

That's why Hermione loved him so much. And that's why this whole _thing_ \- whatever it was - was absolutely _shit_.

"He's jealous."

Hermione blinked and paused, Ginny's words not quite registering in her brain. Slowly she turned around and stared at her friend, the confusion clouding her eyes.

"What? Why would he be jealous? He has nothing to be jealous about," Hermione stated quite factually.

Ginny rolled her eyes and took a swallow of her own drink. "He was jealous of Seamus having his hands all over you."

Another unladylike snort left her. "_Please_ tell me why he would be jealous about that," Hermione replied, the sarcasm dripping from her voice.

Ginny narrowed her eyes at the brunette and said something which completely flabbergasted Hermione.

"He's in love with you, you idiot," Ginny said. "Merlin, I swear. For the brightest witch of the century you sure are quite dense."

These words hit her harder than Harry apparently being jealous. It was such a _ludicrous _idea that her brain could not compute. He was her _best friend_. He had _always _treated her as his best friend and nothing more, much to Hermione's silent heartbreak. She had already accepted the fact that he could only see her in a platonic light that she kept her feelings to herself. Besides, it wasn't like friendship with Harry was terrible. In fact, it's usually great and one of the best things in her life, if one didn't count the number of times her heart was broken whenever he told her he was dating another girl. Why rock the boat when she was already in an upscale yacht? Wasn't it selfish to want for a cruise ship?

"You can _not _be serious," Hermione responded, the disbelief evident in her tone. "Harry? Love _me_? Ginny…"

"Fine, don't believe me," Ginny said nonchalantly with a modest shrug. "Just don't make me say 'I told you so'!"

* * *

Hermione left the party soon after that. She wasn't in a partying mood at all and bid Ron and her friends goodbye. Ginny's words kept ringing in her ears, the confusion and disbelief growing inside of her. Her brain was a chaotic mess of muddled thoughts and fragmented notions that it was starting to _really _annoy her. Her irritation about the whole thing soon turned to absolute vexation that she apparated back to Godric's Hollow huffing and puffing and ready to confront her best friend.

She appeared in the large entryway with a bang. The house was already dark but she didn't bother with the lights. She waited for her eyes to adjust to the shadows before she turned around and climbed upstairs.

From the upstairs landing she could see a small sliver of light dancing underneath his bedroom door. Feeling indignant and so _very_ pissed off, Hermione headed over in that direction with her heels clicking against the wooden floors. Not caring to knock, she grabbed the handle, twisted, and pushed the door open.

She was a little surprised that the door wasn't locked to begin with, or that he hadn't put up any magical wards around his room. She quickly dismissed the surprise when she spotted him. He was lounging in the sitting area of the large master suite staring into the burning fire, still in his party clothes and with a glass of scotch in his hand.

"Harry Potter!" She screeched. She stalked to where he was sitting and stood in front of the sofa. He kept his gaze on the dancing flames in the fireplace which only added fuel to the fire of her anger. "What is the _matter_ with you?! First you start acting weird around me! Staring at me when you think I'm not looking… You wouldn't tell me why even though it was driving me crazy! Then _tonight_," she gave a dramatic pause, her chest heaving in her tirade, "Tonight you _completely_ ignore me! You were running away from me and you didn't. Even. Say. Goodbye!" He was finally looking at her and instead of feeling triumphant, she felt the tears welling up at the corner of her eyes. His expression looked so pained that it immediately gripped her heart in fear. She had fallen from the high of her anger and now all she wanted was his calming reassurance. "Do you know how absolutely _shite_ it is feeling so confused and… and _hurt_? _Please_ tell me what's wrong. Did I do something to upset you? What _happened_, Harry?"

"Fuck, fuck, _fuck_," he said softly, the glass of scotch clinking against the coffee table when he hastily put it down. He stood up from his seat and enveloped her in his arms. She immediately welcomed his embrace, her arms wrapping around his waist as she brushed her cheeks against the front of his shirt. "That wasn't my intention. I'm so fucking sorry, Hermione," he said hoarsely. He laid his head on top of her head and closed his eyes.

They held each for a moment and revelled in each other's warmth. It was only when he heard her murmur did he reopen his eyes.

"We need to talk," Hermione whispered, her grip tightening around his waist. "I _know_ there's something you're not telling me. Something's changed, Harry."

He sighed and leaned back to look at her. He felt like such a prat. Her beautiful eyes were slightly reddened as they looked at him from behind long eyelashes. He brought a hand up to brush the curls away from her face as he silently thought that _it_ was the cause of this whole mess. He was so mesmerized by her hair that he couldn't stop staring.

Of course… there was also that _little_ detail of him realizing his true feelings.

"I don't know how to tell you," Harry said truthfully. He was scared - _really _fucking scared, actually - about telling her the reason behind his weird behaviour at the party and his weird behaviour during the past month. He saw green when Seamus held her in his arms, the jealousy rising in his chest as he watched them dance. Why was he jealous? Because he loved her. Why did he often stare at her? Because he was fascinated with _all _of her… because he loved her.

There was really no getting around that fact.

"Just say it, Harry," she coaxed. "I can handle it. I promise you there is nothing you could say that would make me hate you."

"Promise?" He asked.

She nodded her head once. "Promise," she firmly stated.

He looked her in the eyes, his jade irises meeting her amber orbs. He knew that telling her would change everything. He had already tried, and utterly _failed_, to keep his newfound feelings to himself. He tried to not let it affect their easy friendship but look at how that all turned out! When he saw her in that new light, it was like everything in his life finally clicked into place. It all made _sense_.

Which was why he felt like such a miserable git for causing her so much confusion.

Harry caressed her cheek. She softly closed her eyes and leaned towards his touch. He took a deep breath and told her the truth.

"I love you, Hermione."

Her eyes snapped open. She looked at him in shock, her lips parting in a soft gasp. He thumbed the soft skin of her cheek before he grasped a loose curl between two fingers and tucked it behind her ear.

"I love you," he stated again. "And it's been driving me crazy since I realized that I did. When you're not around, I can't stop thinking about you. And when you are, I can't stop looking at you." He took a staggering breath and the words couldn't stop flowing. "I was scared… I didn't want to tell you since I know nothing would be the same again. I told myself I could just keep acting normal and pretending nothing's changed. We've been best friends for so long and I _didn't_ want to risk our friendship. But _damn it_, I couldn't just keep pretending everything's the same when I finally know what I feel. When I saw you with Seamus tonight," his voice quavered, the decibel lowering into a whisper. "I was so _jealous_. And I was so angry at myself because I had absolutely _no right_ to be."

He looked at her expectantly, his heartbeat pounding loudly in his ears. She was quiet the whole time and was unmoving in his arms. The shock on her face had gone to make way for something he couldn't quite decipher. She looked pensive and absorbed in thought. He wanted to bring her closer to him but he felt stuck in time waiting for her reply. He didn't even want to move his arms. "_Please_ say something, Hermione," he whispered. "Anything."

He was expecting a rejection. She would be sweet about it, and kind, but it would be a rejection nonetheless. She would tell him that it's probably best that they stay friends, and that she loved him too… just not in the way that he wanted. And Harry could live with that, since he had only known to be her friend all these years. But there would be a part of him that would be incomplete. He closed his eyes and waited for the blow.

But instead, he felt her arms tighten around his waist. "You silly boy," he heard her murmur. He reopened his eyes and she had decreased the gap between their faces as she stood on her tiptoes. He saw every speck of brown and gold and amber in her eyes. He drank in the sight of her beautiful face and those softly curved lips… and then she closed the gap altogether and her lips were on his. They were soft and delicate, tender and sweet. It lasted just long enough for him to inhale her breath and feel her warmth. And then she was pulling away with a soft smile on her face.

"Hermione…" He couldn't quite put into words what had just happened.

"I love you too, Harry," she responded.

He stood there dumbstruck as all of his expectations flew out the window. He felt her shake in front of him as she giggled at his reaction and then she was kissing him again.

She poured every single one of her emotions into that kiss. Relief and anxiety. Irritation and happiness. Pleasure and love. So much love.

Her eyes shut and she pulled his body closer. Her tongue swept against his bottom lip asking for entrance and the little appendage jarred him from his shock. His lips parted and her tongue slipped inside. Their tongues battled like two swordsmen in a duel. She pulled away leaving him panting before she latched onto his bottom lip and sucked.

He groaned. The fire which had ignited from their kiss had started to spread across his body. "Hermione, love…"

"You," she kissed him on the cheek. "Have no idea," she kissed him on his other cheek. "How long," she kissed the tip of his nose. "I've been wanting to hear that," she pecked him on the lips. "I love you _so much_."

It was his turn to kiss her. He swept down and promptly covered her lips with his. He savoured her taste as one of his hands made its way to the base of her neck. It burrowed itself into her curls, his fingers taking hold of her tresses. He pulled just a little bit to tilt her head back further and she moaned. The delicious sound sent a shiver down his spine.

"I want you," she whispered against him. Every word she spoke was like a soft caress of a butterfly's wing on his lips. "I know it might be too soon, but I _want_ you, Harry."

His eyes darkened at her admittance. His response was to pull on her hair once again and her lips parted in a surprised gasp. Then his mouth was on her exposed neck and raining kisses on her collarbone. He kissed, he licked, and he sucked at every bit of her exposed skin; her soft gasps sounding like music to his ears. He trailed kisses from her neck, to her cheek, and finally to her ear. "I want you too," he whispered. "But are you _sure_?"

"Yes," came her strangled reply since the breath of his whispers against her ear did funny things to her body. She was suddenly no longer upright and was in his arms. After a couple of long strides, she felt herself being lowered and felt the soft texture of his sheets as he laid her atop his bed.

He thought that she looked beautiful. Her lips were red and plump from his kisses. Her eyes were alight with passion and love. Her curls were in beautiful disarray against his sheets. They created a halo of wildness that he thought he would only see in his imagination. He committed the image to memory for she was his dreams brought to life. And she really was, for he had never thought _this_ would happen outside of his dreams.

He climbed on top of her making sure not to crush her smaller body with his. Immediately her arms wound around his neck. He felt her fingers start to play with his hair as she smiled at him from below. She pulled his head closer and they were kissing again. Her hands went in a frenzy. One of them remained in his hair, messing it up even more than it currently was. The other was stroking his chest on top of his shirt. She felt the hardness and the dips of his muscles beneath the fabric. She pushed his jacket aside and her hands stroked up to his shoulders. He kept his arms steady on either side of her to hold himself up and kissed her harder.

"You're making me crazy," he murmured.

"You're making me crazy since you're wearing too many clothes," she softly retorted. He grinned at her and listened as she recited a spell he had never heard before. It was quite a long chain of words in what sounded like Latin and Greek. He wasn't really surprised that she was doing some complicated bit of magic (and _wandless_ as well) since she was an Unspeakable but he _was _surprised at the result. He felt the cool air against his chest as all of his clothes but his boxers disappeared. He almost laughed aloud in incredulity until he felt her hands on his bare skin.

"Mmm, you're going to have to teach me that spell one day," he said.

"We'll make a date out of it," she replied, her hands and eyes continuing their exploration of his body. She wanted to memorize every inch of him. Years of Quidditch had certainly done him well. His muscles were defined but not overly so. She ran her hands through his shoulders and down to his broad chest. Her hands kept trailing downwards until they were stroking his hard stomach. He groaned at her caresses and struggled to keep himself propped up. When he couldn't take it anymore, he looped one strong arm around her waist and turned them around.

He was the one laying in bed now with her on top of him. She giggled as Harry repositioned them, bringing his back against the headboard and setting her arse on his lap. Hermione slyly smiled when she realized she was still fully clothed, heels and all. Her tight dress was making it impossible for her to straddle his lap like how she wanted so she grasped his arms and slid off the bed. He looked at her curiously, wondering what she was going to do. She smiled and, feeling more daring and sexy than she had _ever_ felt before, she grabbed the hem of her dress and lifted it past her bum to bunch around her waist. Then, without breaking stride, she got back on the bed and straddled his lap.

His eyes had positively darkened with lust after witnessing her little show. He breathed heavily as his arms gripped her waist, his member painfully hard. "You are so beautiful," he said. She rose to her knees and palmed his shoulders. She looked down at him from above, her hair creating a waterfall of curls around her face.

Harry was brought to action. His hands came to her shoulders and his fingers gripped the thick straps of the black dress she was wearing. He peeled them from her skin and helped them fall off her shoulders. She lifted her arms through the straps and let the top of her dress fall to her waist to join its other half. His eyes clouded at the sight of her bare breasts. Her nipples were already pebbled and her chest was heaving as Hermione anticipated what he was going to do next.

His hands splayed on her bare back as he tilted his head to take one nipple into his mouth. She moaned when his lips closed around a peak and she felt the heat in her core when he licked and nipped the bud. One of his hands had made its way to her front and was toying with her other breast.

"Oh, Harry," she whispered. Her knees shook and she grabbed onto his shoulders to keep herself upright.

The hand on her back went to cup her bum as he switched ministrations to her other nipple. He sucked the stone hard peak and gently lowered her onto his lap. He groaned against her skin when their most intimate parts brushed against each other from behind the confines of their underwear.

"I need you," she moaned again into his ear.

He flipped them again and she was below him now, him kneeling in between her spread legs. He made quick work in removing his boxers and Hermione's eyes bulged at the size of his hardness. He grabbed the material of her dress and pulled it down her legs. His eyes burned into hers when he gripped the sides of the thong she was wearing and slowly peeled it off her body. He covered her body with his again when she was fully naked and revelled in the feel of her warm body against his.

"Gorgeous," he murmured. "I never thought this would _ever_ happen…"

"Me too," she agreed with a soft smile. "But it has. It _is_."

"I love you," he said.

"I love you too," she replied.

His hand trailed a burning path from her neck, between her breasts, down to her stomach, and finally to her centre. She moaned when he cupped her aching womanhood and mewled when he inserted a finger into her wetness. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head when he pumped the digit inside of her.

Satisfied that she was ready for him, Harry positioned his hard cock at her entrance. Then, without breaking their gazes, Harry pushed into her wet heat. They simultaneously groaned as the head of his cock penetrated her core. He stilled for a moment, waiting for her to acclimate to his intrusion. When she moved her hips below him, he pushed further into her to fully sheath himself. Then, he began to move. He began slowly at first, and gently. Her soft murmurs of "Yes, _yes_, Harry," soon sped up his thrusts.

"Hermione," he groaned into her neck. She was so _tight_, and _wet_, and _hot_. He didn't want their first time to end so quickly but she felt so good around him that he was quickly losing control. His hips kept a steady rhythm as he leaned back and hooked his arms around her knees to bring her closer. This was a delicious new angle which allowed him to dive deeper into her.

"Oh my god," she moaned. Her hands were gripping his bed sheets and her head was thrashing from side to side. From behind hooded eyes, he saw her curls splayed all over his sheets.

Sexy.

So fucking sexy.

He stopped thrusting and flipped her over to her stomach. Then without breaking stride, Harry grabbed her hips and drove himself home.

"Harry!" She screeched as he began his pounding once again. She clawed at the sheets around her, revelling at the feel of her nipples brushing against the softness of his bed as she was ravaged from behind.

Then Hermione felt his hand fist around her curls. She felt the small pinpricks of pain on her scalp and almost came when he pulled on her hair from behind forcing her head up. She moaned loudly.

"Fuck," he groaned. "_Fuck_," he said again. "I've wanted to do this for _so long_," he said with difficulty. "Do you like it when I pull on your hair like this?"

His dirty talking was making her even wetter. She nodded her head as much as possible given his grip on her hair. "Yes," she whispered.

"If only you can see how sexy you look," Harry said, the rhythm of his thrusts speeding up.

"Show me," Hermione whispered. "You're a wizard, Harry."

A soft murmur from behind her conjured a mirror on the headboard. She immediately moaned at the sight which greeted her. There was Harry towering behind her, his chest glistening with sweat and his emerald eyes as dark as night. His hair was in complete disarray as one hand gripped her waist while the other hand was outstretched and pulling on her hair as he snapped his hips against her. And there she was on all fours. Her arms were holding her upright, her breasts were dangling in between, her lips were parted in a gasp, and her head pulled back because of his hold.

She was so close. The sight of them in the mirror was so erotic. She watched him drive his cock into her as he thoroughly fucked her. She came with a scream. He followed soon after for the feel of her walls clenching around his cock was too much. They reached the peak and fell together, their lover's name leaving their lips in a chant.

"Harry… oh Harry," Hermione murmured.

"Hermione," Harry breathed

His thrusts slowed. He let go of her hair. He gently pulled out and laid beside her, his arms wrapping around her waist and bringing her close. He kissed her cheek. She sighed and curled beside him.

"That was…" He began.

"Unexpected," she said.

He smiled back. "Yes, but completely-"

"Wonderful. Amazing. Incredible."

They looked at each other and grinned. Hermione's palm cupped his face and he beamed at her, his eyes bright. She pecked his lips and snuggled into his warmth.

It was a welcomed surprise, these turn of events. This was the last thing she expected when she left the party and definitely the last thing she expected when she started her analysis of his behaviour.

Harry was in love with _her_. The person whom she loved so much loved her back.

It was mind-boggling. It was intricate. It was complex. The platonic relationship they had fostered over the years had shattered in just a single night. Surely, these new waters would be difficult to navigate.

Yet, as she gazed at the man in front of her who was looking at her with those beautiful green eyes and that dimpled smile, she realized that it would also be so _simple_. There was so much trust, understanding, and love in those eyes that Hermione realized that they could _do_ this.

They had proven time and time again that they could conquer the world with each other. As long as she was with him, and he was with her, anything was possible.

So Hermione let her body give way to slumber, trusting Harry that in the morning everything would be as it should be. Enveloped in each other's warmth, they carried on to a new day and to a brighter future.

* * *

_**Fin.**_

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Thank you to Carrie Y. for this fun prompt for the Harmony and Co. Shagathon.


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